For those of you with fewer than 4 people in a lane at workout, congratulations, this rant does not apply to you. I hope.
For the rest of us, especially those who regularly have to share with 8 or more per lane, does your coach keep the wall cleared so everyone has an opportunity to finish swimming? Or does the wall get cluttered with the first two or three people who think it is necessary to hold onto the gutter with both hands and have both feet on the ledge? And are oblivious to the idea that there may be other swimmers behind them that want to get a time for the full distance of the pool? Yeah, me too.
There are a couple people i swim with occasionally who stop at least 5 yds. from the wall even if they're the lane leader. Everyone else backs up to about the half way mark.
Now this is just bizarre!
I think when you get more than maybe four people to a lane it starts getting difficult for the last people to finish to the wall even if the earlier swimmers try to line up in the middle of the lane. It gets worse when the water is too deep to stand up. But the lane leader finishing five yards from the wall is something I've--luckily--never experienced!
I hate it when people do that to me so whenever I'm up front I always scoot to the side as soon as i touch the wall. However, even though i get out of the way most people just finish a yard or two out anyways.
Me too! It's called being considerate and mindful of others.
We get some people who are fairly fast but only come to practice 2 or 3 times a month. They like to go first and be fast but I guess they think the cross on the bottom is the finish line. They'd be better off to slow down and do the workout from wall to wall.
I usually move to another lane mid-workout when these type people show up in my lane. We don't have an on-deck coach to take care of these issues and people get annoyed with me when I speak up.
Gaaaahhhhh!!! YES, major pet peeve :frustrated: :shakeshead: :rant3: :censor:
Coaches should to enforce it, but come on, we're all adults and should know that there are other people in the world! People who hog the wall are too self-absorbed to notice others stopping short or having to tread water after a tough set. Yeah, are you blind?! Do you see me??? :bitching:
I hate it when people do that to me so whenever I'm up front I always scoot to the side as soon as i touch the wall. However, even though i get out of the way most people just finish a yard or two out anyways.
Unfortunate to be sure. I think with kids this happens because kids rarely think about anyone but there self so the thought that they are clogging the lane for the ones behind them just doesn't occur.
Well, that isn't true. But point taken.
I swim/practice with kids. The coach emphasizes that we all have to swim the entire 50m or 25 yards, not 45m or 24 yards. We have long course practices with 12 or more in each lane. Once we finish, we race to duck under and get to the middle of the lane so the next person can finish. Rarely does it happen that we can't touch the end of the lane. That did not happen with my previous age group team but thanks to this coach, we all get to get to the wall.
My solution has been to get faster so I can become the lane leader. But until that happens, I just swim into anyone who gets in my way. I think it's also how I establish some rank as the only women in a lane that's usually full of men.
Also, I've found that it's helpful to speak up and ask my lane mates to make way for the finish. That actually got the point across better than the passive-aggressive colliding...
This is a pet peeve of mine too. There are a couple people i swim with occasionally who stop at least 5 yds. from the wall even if they're the lane leader. Everyone else backs up to about the half way mark. I always tell them it bothers me; I think some of my lane mates think I'm over-intense. I'm not intense, I just like to get the whole workout in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm lucky as I rarely swim with 1 or 2 other people,but this scenario drives me nuts when I see it happen at my kids practice.They"ve complained to the coach that they hardly ever finish to the wall,but there is rarely any correction.So both train really hard to swim 45,95 and 195 Y events,but get screwed when it comes to the finish,which I believe is as important as a good start.
They"ve complained to the coach that they hardly ever finish to the wall,but there is rarely any correction.So both train really hard to swim 45,95 and 195 Y events,but get screwed when it comes to the finish,
Unfortunate to be sure. I think with kids this happens because kids rarely think about anyone but there self so the thought that they are clogging the lane for the ones behind them just doesn't occur.
but get screwed when it comes to the finish,which I believe is as important as a good start.
Well, that isn't true. But point taken.
It gets somewhat difficult to use this principle when the intervals are extremely tight, however.
Frankly if the interval is really tight - the people in front of you have left before you get to the wall; problem solved! Our (age group) coach also yells at the kids for blocking the wall - the LITTLE kids. Those in middle school or older know better.
